


Pomegranate Seeds

by Flammenkobold



Series: Flammen's October Prompts Adventures [28]
Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Betrayal, F/F, Hopeful Ending, Minor Character Death, Running Away Together, for a definition of hopeful, hades&persephone references, happy for Saira and Liliana at least?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:22:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27228784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flammenkobold/pseuds/Flammenkobold
Summary: Saira is tired. Tired of people leaving her behind,  making her clean up their messes, of using her, of never asking what she wants. She hoped Liliana was different. And maybe, after all, she is.
Relationships: Saira al-Tahan/Liliana Beekos
Series: Flammen's October Prompts Adventures [28]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949224
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14
Collections: A Wilde Ride October Collection





	Pomegranate Seeds

**Author's Note:**

> Day 26 - Angstober - Fallen
> 
> Look I just love them both and want them to rule the world together.

Wellington won't stop monologuing and Saira is at this point more bored than she is afraid, but she knows better than to let down her guard. Liliana stands in the far corner, watching them with disinterest. Not for the first time Saira curses herself for taking her in, for allowing her to stay here at her family’s home. For taking her into her bed. 

(For taking her into her heart.)

Despite Curie's warning to be cautious around her, she could not have guessed Liliana would be intentionally working with the people who brought on the infection. Had believed her when she said that she hadn’t known what she was working on in Newton’s study. Hadn’t thought Liliana would go and work with them again after they took her research and her pride. But now Wellington is here, intent to keep her as a hostage to get to Hamid and his friends. She is tired, so tired, being a means to an end for the men in her life. From her father and brothers and friends and strangers.

"You could even join us if you like, Saira, you are a smart woman, after all. Just like your friend over here," he says and gestures towards Liliana. And for the first time since he turned up, Saira sees a flicker of emotion in Liliana's eyes. One of deep seated disgust and annoyance.

"How about it?"

Saira glares at him and says nothing.

He gives her a cold smile.

"A pity, Hades would've compensated you so well, once back to full power."

Behind him Liliana finally moves. "Yes, yes, all hail Hades, and so forth. Are we done here?"

Wellington turns around, surprise on his face, yet still wearing that smug superiority of his like it's a cheap mantle he picked up on the street and treats it like a king's rope.

"It all should be ready in a bit, my dear." Disgust curls in Saira's stomach, at him, at how he addresses Liliana, even now, even after the betrayal. He pulls out what looks like a pocket watch and squints at it, clicks the different buttons rapidly.

"Well, will you look at that, all ready already!"

"Good," Liliana says and snaps her fingers. The two hooded figures flanking her, move forward. So far Saira thought of them to be guards, to keep both her and Liliana in check and intimidated. By the look on Wellington's face he thought so too.

Wellington dies quickly and messily and  _ screaming  _ and when the things under the long robes are done with him, there are only bits and pieces left. Liliana walks towards where he stood, eyes the remnants and grinds a piece of bone into the ground beneath her heels. "For our mistress, Queen of the lower world and the dead," she murmurs so softly, Saira barely hears her, but she hears her nonetheless. A shiver runs down her spine, not in fear, but in recognition, in a familiarity with something she has not known a name for and yet in her weakest hours prayed to anyway.

Liliana leans over her and Saira wonders if she will dispose of her as easily as she did of Wellington. Instead she mutters a few words and Saira’s bindings fall off her.

“You can go,” Liliana says and Saira feels rage again boiling up in her.

“I can go? This is still my house,” she retorts as she stands up, not caring that Liliana and her squizard friends, or whatever they are, could just end her.

Liliana’s face contorts, not in anger so much as worry. “I don’t want to kill you.” 

Saira’s laugh is hollow. “So you what? Force me out of my own house and leave me?” she spits out, and she realizes too late the slip of her tongue. She is tired and angry and everyone just leaves, either to have her clean up their messes or to avoid helping her deal with the messes others have made. 

She was so foolish to hope that maybe Liliana was the exception. Maybe this time she got it right, despite all the warning signs.

“I doubt you’d want to come with me,” Liliana’s voice was matter of fact, with only the barest hint of wistfulness. But that little hint was more than enough for something in Saira’s chest to shrivel up.

“And how would you know that? Why don’t you ask, why does nobody ever ask what I want?” She thought of her father and Hamid and Apophis and even Curie. No one ever asked her what she wanted, everyone always presumed or expected her to want what they had deemed her priorities and duties.

Liliana grips her hand, too tightly, her eyes full of something too wild. “Would you then? Come with me? Leave your family behind, your responsibilities. Ishak and Ismail?”

Saira looks down at their joined fingers. “Is there a way to arrange for them to be safe, the twins?” 

“I-” Liliana hesitates. “I can’t promise that. I can try, but only for the twins. For you,” And that is a lot more honesty than anyone has given Saira within the last couple of months.

“Ask me again,” she whispers, squeezing Liliana’s hand as hard as Liliana does hers. 

“Come with me.”

\---

Later Liliana feeds her pomegranate seeds and Saira kisses her with blood red lips.


End file.
